Memories in Focus

by Pinchas Gutter

As ten-year-old Pinchas is deported from the Warsaw ghetto to the killing site of Majdanek and then to a series of concentration camps, he shuts himself off to the terrors surrounding him and tries his best not to be noticed, to become almost invisible. But after liberation, his photographic memory won't let his past fade away, and Pinchas struggles to deal with nightmares and flashbacks while trying to raise a family and heal his emotional scars.

Memories in Focus vividly retells Pinchas's painful journey, describing the separation from his parents and twin sister, his struggle to stay alive under the cruellest of circumstances and the luck and moments of kindness that enabled him to survive.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, History, Holocaust

192 pages, Paperback

Published November 15, 2017

Reviews

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The narration was pitch-perfect, the story was enthralling and it is so necessary to have these stories shared and listened to and learned from so the horrible things that happened will either not be repeated or so more people learn compassion and become willing to help those in need; to provide an apple, a change of clothes or a hiding place to save a life.

This was so incredibly powerful and I am very thankful to him for sharing his story, which couldn't have been easy to tell.

My thanks to libro.fm and Knopf Canada for an ALC of this book to listen to and review.

[Quill · Rating 5 out of 5]

To know what has happened, to so many different people. Each story like this has a different beginning, middle, and end. I do believe he survived out of luck. He is here, out of luck. A miracle survival was, and knowing I am alive when he was, is odd. For once we see a positive end to a Holocaust survivor. Someone who found a live after hatred and war. I am proud. I am proud we can share our stories like this, no matter how terrible.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A poignant memoir from an incredible man.

[Virginie Gagné · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simplement déroutant.

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one from the large series of the Azrieli Foundation memoirs. I chose to read it because it was specially recommended (amongst a few others) on the Association of Canadian Jewish Studies podcast, Tete a Tete. Pinchas Gutter has a photographic memory and, as a result, this memoir contains incredibly detailed portraits of his life before and during the Holocaust. Sadly, despite his incredible memory, Gutter is tortured by the fact that he cannot, to this day, recall images or impressions of his twin sister, Sabina, whose was murdered (along with Gutter's parents) on the day the family arrived in Majdanek, (from the Warsaw Ghetto). A vividly told and powerful book.

"I don't know why I wasn't afraid. I think my mind just went blank. I had no feelings at all. I had disengaged myself from what was happening around me. It was as if my eyes were cameras and my brain was the screen. I just recorded everything, without emotion or participation."

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

My heart aches for Pinchas and all people who suffered at the hands of the coward nazis. I can’t even imagine a ten year old surviving these horrible trials. I’ve read hundreds of survivor stories. His is so heartbreaking. I feel badly for his family too. They were affected. I loved the ending and how he met his camp friend. Sad that the friend didn’t remember.

[A.E. Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gut-wrenching tale. So thankful to read it and understand the how things were at the time.

[Victoria Shepherd · Rating 3 out of 5]

A moving and honest account of devastating trauma and human frailty, told with simplicity and courage.